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A History of the Harad
Summary During the events of Realm of Magyk , Kael can come across several lore entries in the Kings of Sudbaya series, one of which is 'A History of Harad '''by Olfred Ingerson. The entry is split up into many chapters, which are all added individualy to the entry upon discovery. Lore ''Chapter 1 - Introduction Written by Olfred Ingerson , master of the Library of Stone. ''-'' With thanks to Owell Krall, Ingrid Matterin and Idolaf Millen, noted historians all. With thanks to Bjorn Kvenis and Helga Frolheim, noted archaeologists. With thanks to the countless library apprentices and Mrs. Greenwinter, for the tea. ''-'' Thousands of years ago, before the common tongue, before the Kativan Wars and even before there were kings in Sudbaya, there were the tribes. Many migrating Pictian and Sacen tribes lived in the Sudbaya region, as detailed in Owell Krall's 'Migrations to Sudbaya'. As many as forty tribes lived in the area now known as Sudbaya. This time, stretching from about 3E 3600 to about 3E 4000, was a troubled time, where wars were commonplace. Yet this time also saw a giant leap in northern culture. The first writing system in the northern hemisphere developed in Sudbaya during this time and, through trading, it spread throughout the known world. During this time, there were no kings to lead the people as there are today. The gods that inhabit the temples and shrines of Sudbaya had no place in these tribes. Instead, the prehistoric Sudbayans worshipped the animal spirits; their priests were their shamans. The shamans, who claimed to possess spiritual knowledge, led the tribes with iron fists. Yet, in 3E 4003 a king arose amongst the shamans, King Nidud of the Harad, a tribe living in the modern-day area of the same name. Many legends exist surrounding the overthrowing of the shamans. Perhaps the most widely known of all is the Legend of Nidud, a popular tale throughout Harad hold. The legend goes that Nidud was a famed hunter who, after stumbling across some standing stones, found that various animals began to offer themselves to him, accompanied by the sight of strange people: an old man, a warrior and a maiden. Years later, the legend says he returned to each standing stone and was given a cryptic message by each of those people. After much thinking, he decided that those people were in fact the Nyrdic gods, who he would have known about from contact with the Midbayans. He then overthrew the shamans and begun the monarchic system in Sudbaya which survives to this very day. Chapter 2 - Uniting a Nation When Nidud began his rule over the Haradian people, his 'kingdom' was little more than a group of families, numbering less than thirty fighting men strong. Through skilled leadership and masterful tactics, Nidud managed to use these men to great effect; assimilating homestead after homestead until the Haradians were the largest single force in Sudbaya. In 3E 4004, however, when Nidud died of a crippling disease, many believed it was the anger of the spirits Nidud opposed. Shamans in the area took control of the situation and began, once again, to fend off the monarchists. Torr, Nidud's son and the new king of Harad, responded in blood, leading a religious war against the shamans. During his reign, the Haradian territory stretched from modern-day Fortholm to the River Cos; every homestead he came across was assimilated into his tribe. Late in his reign, King Torr boasted that he had driven out the last of the shamans. The new Gods were firmly in charge. What Torr did not realise, was that shamanism had simply been driven underground. Festivals may have seen thousands gather around a standing stone to worship the new gods, but everybody had their shrine to the spirits. Most notably, Torr's very own wife, Verdundi, worshipped the shamistic spirits in secret.Torr, as the story goes, was blissfully unaware. Their marriage, a political one uniting the Haradians with a smaller cluster of homesteads in the northern territory, was strong. In 3E 4017 that all changed. Whether Torr had discovered his wife's secret, or Verdundi simply longed for power, we do not know. History is decidedly silent. What we do know is that Verdundi sealed her husband in a cave and declared herself the martriarch of Harad. The Haradian Monarchy was over after only fourteen years, and the Matriarchy had begun. Chapter 3 - The Holy Mothers When it comes to the Haradian Matriarchy, history often gives way to the fanciful stories beloved of bards. Matriarch Verdundi has been named, depending on the bard, either hero or villain, seductress or warrior queen. What no bard can dispute is that she was no idiot. Matriarch Verdundi, when she came to power, proclaimed that the gods, old and new, could be worshipped side by side. It was Matriarch Verdundi who first created the still-present post of court priest as well a the long-dead post of court shaman. Her ascendency saw shamans from the Wul lands come north into Haradian territory. It seemed as though the shamans were back in power, but they were not. She made it clear to her people that she was firmly in charge and no council of elders, shamanistic or otherwise, would change that. Matriarchy though it may have been, it was still stemmed from the monarchy established by Nidud. It was far more efficient than what the shamans had offered in the 4th millenium and Harad was more powerful than ever before and this power inspired others, such as King Argus of the Tem in 4021, to establish monarchies in place of shamanistic rule. And so, for forty five years until 3E 4062, the matriarchy held its grip on Harad. After Matriarch Verdundi, there was her daughter, Matriarch Urdi and after her, Matriarch Skuldi - grandaughter of Verdundi. But the matriarchy was not to last and when a surge of Nyrdic zealots swept over Harad, led by none other than Skuldi's son Gernolf, it was all over. The subsequent religious inquisition was brutal and efficient, but unlike the last, it was met with surprisingly little resistance amongst the common folk. Only Skuldi and her shamans were excecuted and, before long, the monarchy was restored. Chapter 4 - The Age of Kings Chapter 5 - A Woman's Touch Category:Lore Entry Category:History